This morning, Manchester City and Southampton fought to a draw.  It was a fascinating vision of gorgeous young men running, running, running and sometimes kicking a ball into a little net, which is guarded by one man from the other side.   I have no idea how soccer is played obviously, but it doesn’t matter to me.  I find it so exciting to watch physically fit young people running, running, running, on the “telly”.  .They are running in England at this very moment.  How extraordinary for someone like me who used to sit on the living room floor, one ear pressed against the “radio” while I listened to “The Creaking Door”, a popular horror radio show.

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That was extraordinary and exciting then.  But then, I could run like a Manchester player. Today, I get my kicks watching others, as I cannot run anymore, nor will I again, unless somebody comes up with a new spine pill.  Hey, it could happen…

Today we “young at heart” members of society have television, yoga, tai chi,  pickleball, and physical fitness machines of all sorts.  We have any or all of this at our disposal in our homes, or the YMCA, or the Senior Center, or a, “pay for exercise’ place. We can, if we want to, continue to live our lives using any and all tools at our disposal: pills, people, programs, prayer,et al.

Anything we need to know, about what we need to know, by the way, is all on the National Institute on Aging website, or by calling (1-800-222-2225 or TTY 1-800-222-4225).  There is no place, no number, no other arena in this country that can give an oldster, or a youngster who is caring for an oldster, the essential information regarding how we can continue to keep on keeping on with elan.(enthusiasm).

It would be remiss of me to not mention the other offers to assist the old, both federal, like social security and medicare and the like, or private institutions like AARP, or what our states or city organizations offer. And do not forget about all the religions, private clubs, that go out of the way to do whatever they can to help enrich the lives of the aged from all sorts of angles.  It goes on, almost infinatum, how much help there is in these United States for anyone who is old and who needs help, of almost any kind, mentally, physically, spiritually, emotionally, and yes, financially.  However, one must ask if one wants help.  Or, if there are those who cannot help themselves, we who can help, should help to assist those in need of (help).

Once, when I was young, I found an old woman crying.  She was in a nursing home, she was just put there by her family the day that I found her weeping.  I asked her why she was crying, not knowing what I know now about old people and their families and the cruelty of some families.  The old lady told me that she was crying because she did not want to be in this nursing home, but she could no longer take care of herself, and none of her family wanted her in their homes.  The lady died weeks later.  The nurse said she mainly died of a broken heart.  Years later, I thought of her when my Mother died.  She died peacefully, in her own home, with all her children around her.

None of us knows anything about the future, as by definition it is the future.  We can try to plan, we can pray, we can plan and pray and do lots of other things.  According to Leonardo di Caprio, we will be under water in a few years anyway…  Personally, he is not one of my favorite actors nor a bonafide fortune teller.  He, like all of us, is “absolutely scared” (the climate change thing), about his future.  Welcome to the club, Leonardo!